Patient awareness of risk factors for peripheral vascular disease.

Our aim was to document patient awareness of the risk factors that predispose to peripheral vascular disease (PVD) before and after consultation with a vascular specialist. Two cohorts of patients attending vascular outpatient clinics were interviewed before or after consultation with a vascular surgeon. They were interviewed according to an agreed protocol to determine if they knew that they had PVD and if they knew what the risk factors for vascular disease were.